Chapter 420 — East and West

"Song Han is the one who reduced A-Yan to this state. I can't love him like my own brother anymore, but I never meant to drive him out of the Yingzheng State Manor and ruin his name. At most I'd have stopped managing his affairs, bought back Mother's dowry with a sum of money and given it to A-Yan, and once he was older, set him up to live on his own. When all's said and done, Father is the one who started it. Father is the one who made them what they are. Even after I learned it might have been Song Han who killed Li Yaoniang, I could still understand his fear and worry... But he knew full well it was a bowl of poison, and still he carried it to Mother. Whenever I think of Mother drinking that poison while feeling comforted by his filial piety, I can no longer stomach him.

"I deliberately helped him hide from Father what I had questioned him about. I wanted him to taste for himself what it is to be suspicious of everyone, trembling with every step, living each day in doubt and dread. Even if he wants a quick death, that's for me to decide."

In his last life, Song Yan had even killed him.

Dou Yan lifted Song Yan's hand to her lips and kissed it softly.

His expression immediately softened. "Song Han thinks that if he clamps his mouth shut, I'll turn my eyes on Father to find out who poisoned Mother. He underestimates me.

"The reason Mother died is simple enough. She was grateful to Father for standing by our eldest uncle through thick and thin, and wanted to repay him. So she proposed bringing Li Yaoniang and her daughter into the household. Father, afraid that the old business of the substituted child would come to light, bribed Xingfang, the maid at Mother's side, to put poison in her medicine. And then, fearing she might notice the poison, he had Song Han, who was tending her sickbed, hand the bowl to Mother with his own hands.

"Mother would guard against anyone but her own son.

"She drank it down without the slightest suspicion.

"Later, when Father refused to let Li Yaoniang and her son enter the house, Mother grew suspicious, and Father simply threw caution to the wind and told her the truth of the whole affair.

"Our eldest uncle's death had already left Mother heartbroken and blaming herself. To learn that the son she had raised in the palm of her hand was another woman's child, and that her own daughter had been passed off as a concubine's bastard and raised outside the house without anyone knowing — how could she not be frantic with grief and rage? How could she not cough up blood and die?

"Song Han was afraid that telling the truth would expose the fact that he had long known he was not Mother's own son. What he didn't realize was that the way he fed me nine truths mixed with one lie only made me hate him more." At this he gave a cold laugh. "Well, it's better this way. We've torn all pretense from our faces. From now on I'll walk my broad road and they can cross their single-log bridge. I'd like to see how many rounds they can last against me!"

It seemed Song Yan had no intention of letting Song Cen and Song Han off so easily.

In his last life he had been driven out by Song Cen, free of all restraint, and killing his father and brother had earned him no more than a few curses. In this life, however, he was heir to the Yingzheng State Manor, a son and an elder brother, and could not act with the same abandon as before.

Dou Yan felt some worry. "If you mean to deal with them, you'd best think of an airtight plan. Ruining your own reputation would cost you more than you'd gain."

"I know!" Song Yan said. "Eldest Uncle once said: to hunt a wolf, you must be fiercer than the wolf; to catch a fox, you must be craftier than the fox. If I let myself be dragged down over those two wretches, wouldn't I become a laughingstock? They killed my mother and left my sister with no home to return to. They think they can hoodwink their way past this — not a chance! Just watch. I'll make sure they have grievances they can't even voice."

Dou Yan believed Song Yan could do it.

She could not help silently mourning the futures of Song Cen and Song Han for a moment.

A young servant came in and reported, "Young Master, the Second Master has already moved into the State Duke's Osmanthus Court."